The present invention relates to a machine for producing receptacles by heat-forming a thermoplastic material, which machine also has a mechanism for affixing banderoles or strips externally onto the receptacle.
In the modern packaging industry, especially machines for packaging food products, it is already known to affix to receptacles on their lateral walls decorative banderoles or strips which serve to decorate the receptacle. In particular machines are known which successively carry out the forming, filling and the sealing of the receptacles. It is known to introduce the banderoles or strips by automatic mechanisms into the molds in advance of the heat-forming operation. In view of the fact that the banderoles or strips have decorative indicia, designs or inscriptions, it is necessary in those cases, where one operates with continuous bands, to effectuate a convenient marking so that the transverse cutting of the continuous bands into individual banderoles or strips coincides with the respective ends of the decorative markings. This is generally obtained by means of a control mechanism for the transverse cutting which is correlated with the means for entraining the band by means of one or more photoelectric cells.
This problem becomes more complex when it is desired to make pots furnished with banderoles, the longitudinal edges of which are not formed by straight parallel lines, which is the case when at least one of the longitudinal edges must be cut along an irregular pattern or when one wishes to make a cut in the shape of a truncated cone which requires banderole edges in the shape of circular arcs.
It has been proposed to resolve this problem by cutting two longitudinal edges by means of a system of punches and matrixes, but this solution leads to an undesirable large number of complex mechanical arrangements in the machine, which are costly and difficult to maintain.